While Bösendorfer was indeed the supplier of all pianos to the Emperor, they were not only the instruments of royalty, but were owned and cherished too by the great musicians of their day. Among these was Johann Strauss II, who went by the popular moniker "the Waltz King." With the explosive popularity of Strauss's music, the historical legacy of the Viennese Waltz became legend. Austria came quickly to be identified with this music and remains so to this day.

The Johann Strauss Bösendorfer is inspired by the instrument owned by the maestro himself, which can still be seen today in the Johann Strauss Memorial Rooms in Vienna. Stylistically it combines elements taken from different periods in history, as seen in the carved legs and the ornamental fretwork of the music desk. On the inner-side of the fallboard is displayed a brass inlay of the double headed Austrian monarchy eagle: the symbol Bösendorfer was permitted to use as the exclusive imperial provider of pianos. The underside of the lid and inner rim is finished in striking maple wood, and the lyre pedal harp nods to the instruments and muses of the ancient Greeks to which Strauss himself looked for inspiration.